Vol 1 Chapter 13: Nio’s Whereabouts (Great Labyrinth Arc)

The moment I snapped back to my senses, I wanted to demand, “Where is she?” right then and there.

I also wanted to immediately add, “How do you know?”

But when I grabbed her shoulders, my mouth went dry from the confusion.

Sensing my state, Yuu said, “Let’s change locations for now,” while pointing to a corner of the spacious room.

“There’s a staircase to the upper levels hidden by magic over there. I know this labyrinth well enough to guide you to a safe spot. We can talk there—I have plenty I want to ask, too.”

Yuu’s voice carried a mysteriously dark tone that helped me regain my composure.

At the same time, I felt unexpectedly grateful for this peculiar encounter.

I had been deceived, betrayed, and left for dead while endlessly wandering. And yet, in the end, I met and saved Yuu—she was a small but shining hope in my never-ending life of battle.

Climbing the worn, crumbling staircase, we passed through numerous hidden doors—ones I would never have noticed on my own—until we arrived at a cave-like space.

As soon as we entered, Yuu used magic to create an illusory wall at the entrance. She’d tested her magic a few times along the way, and it seemed her touch had returned.

I sat down in the center of the dim cave, and Yuu conjured an orb of light on the ceiling.

The sudden brightness startled me, yet she calmly lowered herself to sit across from me.

Once my head finally cooled, I refrained from immediately bombarding her with questions, and a brief silence stretched between us.

Where should I start…? No, what should I even ask first? As my thoughts churned, Yuu broke the silence.

“I believe it’s necessary for us to share information before we talk.”

“…You’re awfully composed.”

“Yes. The name Nio holds significant meaning for me as well. It does for you too, doesn’t it, Kaim?”

“Well… yeah. There’s no denying it’s so important that I can’t sum it up in a few words. Though, honestly, I might be reading too much into it.”

“It sounds like a complicated situation. In that case, let me ask—where did you obtain that sword?”

She didn’t ask about Nio at all, but rather about Asterion. It struck me as odd, yet considering Nio had been carrying that sword all along, it made sense.

Regardless of the nature of Yuu and Nio’s relationship, she would at least know that Nio had it.

Even so—

At that moment, Yuu spoke with an unsettling detachment, as if devoid of emotion. Her face remained impassive—eerily so—and I couldn’t help but wave my hands in an exaggerated display of exasperation.

“You make it sound like I’m the villain here. Do you really think someone would just answer, ‘Yes, I did’ if asked like that?”

“…I’m sorry. But if that’s not the case, then I can’t understand why you have that sword.”

It would have been easy to say it was entrusted to me or that I was given it. Yet somehow, I felt Yuu was misunderstanding something about Nio.

As if she believed Nio would never willingly part with Asterion unless it were stolen or taken by force—in other words, as if Nio were destined to be robbed.

No—wait.

The Nio Yuu spoke of—was she really the same Nio I knew? Yuu had lived freely outside the Grimoire Grand Labyrinth hundreds of years ago.

I couldn’t imagine Nio had survived that long. Yet over these past two years, I’d begun to have my own suspicions about her.

To confirm this, I asked her a question.

“First, let’s clarify something. The Nio you’re talking about—how can you prove she’s the same person I know?”

“That person, huh…”

Rather than hesitating, Yuu carefully chose her words before speaking.

She said, “The magic clinging to Asterion matches the magic of the Nio I know.”

Not being well-versed in the nature of magic, I mentioned that, and after a brief pause she continued, “Then, her name.”

“The Nio you know, Kaim… If she’s the same as mine, then her full name should be Nio Fickner, correct?”

That direct response completely caught me off guard. But even so—

“That’s true, but considering the time you were sealed away, there’s a possibility of someone with the same name—maybe even a blood relative. Isn’t there any more definitive evidence?”

When I asked, Yuu, her face completely devoid of emotion and as cold as if covered in ice, spoke without any hesitation.

“Fixer”

“—!”

“Officially, she goes by the name Fickner, but with those she trusts or relies on, she calls herself Fixer. Given her capricious nature, even if you, Kaim, happened to know her, it might have been mere coincidence… but that reaction shows you’ve obtained some confirmation, doesn’t it?”

Yuu stated that quietly. I, on the other hand, recalled the first time I met Nio.

――“Fickner was a name I gave myself, you know. People who know me well call me ‘Fixer.’”

I certainly remember her saying that. Even if that meeting had been a chance encounter, the situation must have been utterly desperate.

Cornered by monsters and battered to the bone, if gaining the trust of that one kid in front of me could guarantee my safety, then revealing my name wouldn’t have been out of the question. Moreover, they knew both my alias “Fickner” and my real name “Fixer,” and my appearance was exactly the same.

Without a doubt, the Nio that Yuu speaks of is the very person I know—no…

“…Was Nio some kind of elf or something?”

I wished she would say that. I silently hoped that, after all the suspicions I’d harbored these past two years, I wouldn’t get the worst possible answer—but as soon as I spoke, Yuu shook her head.

“Absolutely not. Nio is a monster—let’s just say she’s an upper-tier one with an extraordinarily long life.”

Suddenly, my vision wavered. Clacking my tongue while holding my head, I was deeply disappointed that my suspicions had been confirmed.

It was certainly disheartening that Nio was a monster, but that wasn’t what tormented me the most.

Despite being a monster herself, Nio was hunted by monsters. And yet, she spoke of hope to me—a human—and taught me.

She even talked about reconciliation that transcended races. And she probably possessed the power to make it happen.

I don’t know her true strength, but I still don’t have the confidence to best Nio in swordsmanship. That much power was so well concealed.

And if, as Yuu said, she is of an upper-tier species and has been fighting monsters for hope for hundreds of years—

“Shit…! Shit!!”

I was so sickened that I cursed twice. If things are as I suspect, then she has been fighting her own kind all alone.

What drove Nio so relentlessly must have been that hope—so dreamily spoken—that dwelled in her heart.

She fought against her own kind, and even the Demon King, all by herself. And when she was cornered, she met me.

But at our parting, she entrusted me with Asterion. Then, it was as if Asterion was…

“Are you saying this is Nio’s last hope or something…!?”

It must have truly been her “last” hope. When she left the village, she was more exhausted than I had imagined and defeated the monsters with her final strength. Then, with a faint hope in her heart and wishing that I—who had formed a pact with Asterion—would claim it, she died in some unknown place.

“Did Nio croak…! After offloading everything onto others, did she just end up dying on her own somewhere!?!”

If she were dead, then it would make sense that no matter how much I searched, I wouldn’t find her.

Exactly because that made sense, I couldn’t understand the surge of emotions welling up inside me.

Anger? Sadness? Resentment?

Because she was a cherished presence? Because she was a woman? Because I respected her? Because she gave me hope?

In any case, if she were dead, I wouldn’t be able to confront her about any of it—not even to express a single word of thanks.

Just as I was about to let my overflowing rage turn everything to chaos and reached for Asterion, Yuu held my hand back.

“There seems to be a misunderstanding.”

“What do you mean now…!? There’s no way someone dead can come back…!”

“She’s not dead.”

“Huh,” Yuu’s tone slackened. And when she let go of Asterion, a clattering sound—karan karan—echoed in the cave.

As the sound faded away, Yuu spoke clearly.

“Nio is alive. In fact, you can meet her right away.”

“What do you mean…?”

I had no choice but to ask, and Yuu answered in a cold tone.

“It’s because, like me, she is sealed within this labyrinth. If you trace her magical energy, I can guide you.”

I realized it wasn’t a lie, thanks to Yuu’s voice—which had been inexplicably as cold as ice water from the start.

Judging by my reaction, once I learned that Nio was alive, it was obvious that I would search for her immediately. Even if I weren’t guided, if I scoured every nook and cranny, eventually that lie would be exposed.

Above all, it’s clear that I would force her to reveal her whereabouts.

In the first place, there’s no reason for her to lie. Yuu has no reason to deceive me now.

If so, then Nio is here.

The one I’ve been searching for these past two years was sealed at the bottom of this place, which is considered the Demon King’s fortress. Thus, it’s natural that a monster like her wouldn’t be known as one dwelling on the surface—and it’s even questionable if any monster besides the Demon King is known at all.

But anyway,

“…After risking my life for two years searching, were you just eating stinky food in some hole? Don’t fuck around—getting caught all on your own…! Even though you were so strong, what the hell are you doing, damn it… Ah, fine, I get it. Then, even if you’re at the bottom of the earth, I’ll dig you up and haul you out!”

Just as I was about to express my gratitude to Yuu—who had truly been a beacon of hope for me—she interjected with a slightly relaxed expression,

“This proves that the Nio known to both me and Kaim is the same person, doesn’t it?”

“…Ah, yeah, that’s right, it is.”

My mind was filled with thoughts of finding her and bringing her back, but there were still many things I needed to learn.

There’s no need to rush. If she’s somewhere in this labyrinth, and Yuu is here to guide me, then it’s not too late to sort through all the information. In fact, I should learn everything I can at this point.

“Shall we get down to talking about Nio?”

As I said that, Yuu, for some reason, flashed a brief smile on her otherwise emotionless face.